The launch postponement has nothing to do with the satellite’s condition

KOROLYOV (Moscow Region), May 13. /TASS/. The launch of Glonass-M satellite No. 53 from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in north Russia has been rescheduled from May 21 to May 29, Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems CEO Nikolay Testoyedov said on Friday.

The launch postponement has nothing to do with the satellite’s condition, he said.

"The launch is planned for May 29 not because of the satellite. This is the decision of the state commission. Today we have received a notice that the launch will take place on May 29. I don’t know the reason for that but this surely has nothing to do with the satellite," Testoyedov said.

Russia’s State Space Corporation Roscosmos announced earlier that a Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket was expected to bring a new Glonass-M satellite into orbit.

As Roscosmos reported on Thursday, up to eight satellites may replenish Russia’s grouping of the GLONASS satellite navigation system before the end of 2017. Both Soyuz spacecraft and Proton-M heavy carrier rockets may be used for the launches.

A source in the space rocket industry told TASS that the launch of a Proton carrier rocket with three GLONASS satellites may take place already before the end of 2016.